Is House Wrap Needed?

Gina Zuk, is trying to make her house look better. But she's not getting good advice from her siding contractor.

"I have a contractor that says I don't need the house wrap if I am putting on the solid core vinyl siding made by Crane.

I think it should have the house wrap as even if it isn't needed it can't hurt.

So is it needed?"

Gina, you came to the right place.

I've written extensively over the years about the house wrap products and what came before them.

More importantly, I discuss what happens if you DON'T use them.

Perhaps the best analogy I can give is underwear. You can get by without it, but it's often not a very good idea.

Only the boldest go without underwear. 

There are not many old bold houses because water doesn't allow them to become old.

House wraps, when installed correctly, keep the wood framing dry as a bone.

Read these columns to understand the importance of house wrap:

opens in a new windowHousewrap Air Barriers

opens in a new windowHousewrap Will Save Money

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